This invention relates to the excavation of rooted plants such as trees and shrubs, the excavation being undertaken in such a way that a well shaped protective ball of soil about the roots of the plant is maintained intact for protection of the plant during transplantation.
The apparatus is adapted for use in connection with a vehicle such as a tractor, truck or specialized vehicle like the Case Uniloader Model 1737, the vehicle functioning in cooperation to position the apparatus with respect to the plant to be excavated and to provide mobility and power for the apparatus. The apparatus is adapted first to surround the trunk or base of the rooted plant and pierce the soil thereabout and then to undercut the soil beneath the plant forming a generally frusto-conical ball of protective soil. In this way the plant may be removed from the surrounding soil with a substantial part of the roots thereof and protective soil intact. The apparatus is designed to excavate the rooted plant quickly and efficiently with a minimum of hand labor, and in the preferred form it removes a generally frusto-conical ball having a hemispherical bottom. The ball when wrapped with burlap or the like constitutes a unique plant package which optimizes root protection, ease of handling and ease of storage and replanting.
The invention features spades and spade supports of novel construction for piercing the earth and forming a retaining enclosure of generally frusto-conical shape about the roots of the plant, a novel structure for supporting and manipulating the enclosure, a novel bowed undercutting element for severing the ball from the earth beneath the enclosure and a novel plant package resulting therefrom.